New Online Course Immerses Students in the Best of Shroud Studies

Fr. Andrew Dalton, LC, in a moment of prayer with a bronze statue of Christ that was cast based on the scientific measurements of the Shroud of Turin.

The Shroud of Turin, the ancient burial cloth believed to have covered Christ’s body in the tomb, is a passion of his.

He has lectured on the Shroud all over the world, including China, Singapore, and the Philippines. He loves to emphasize the evangelical opportunity Shroud science affords: “Scientism has unleashed a frontal attack on religion, sweeping droves of young people from the flock. Meanwhile, the most rigorous science, quite paradoxically, continues to champion a cloth that signals the central mysteries of Christian faith, namely, the Incarnation and the Resurrection. And I think the world ought to know about it.”

Those who would like to take the course for their own enrichment without earning the certificate are also welcome to audit the course, at a reduced cost.

Fr. Andrew shares, “In 2011, ten years after joining the seminary, I attended a lecture about a burial shroud bearing the image of a crucified man. The victim seems to have been crowned with thorns, scourged with a Roman whip, and pierced in the side. I literally lost sleep that night. To this date, the best peer-reviewed science points to the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and no laboratory has ever reproduced a remotely similar image. Whether you are driven by a desire to share the Gospel with an increasingly secularized world or simply intrigued by one of history’s greatest mysteries, here is an open door.”

The course, offered in English, has never had access to a learning platform of this caliber. The Postgraduate Certificate in Shroud Studies, which began in 2011 in Italian, brings together expertise from all over the world, including the International Center of Sindonology in Turin and the Giulio Ricci Diocesan Center of Sindonology in Rome.

Specialists in diverse fields—physics, forensic medicine, archeology, history, biblical exegesis, theology, apostolate, etc.—offer an in-depth study of one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time. This program offers a systematic approach to the intellectual challenges posed by the Shroud of Turin, as well as the opportunity to go deeper into the message that it proposes to the faith and to the heart of believers.

The course, which is two semesters long, has open registration until October 16th, 2018.

Barrie Schwortz, the Jewish man who established shroud.com, is one of the best-known lecturers in the program. In 1978, he served as the technical photographer to the Shroud of Turin Research Project. In its final report, this elite team of scientists concluded that “the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist.”

The postgraduate certificate in Shroud Studies is ideal for anyone who is passionate about the new evangelization. It is open to lay people, consecrated men and women, priests, catechists, researchers, and anyone else who may want to gain a deeper understanding of the Shroud of Turin.

We do not simply observe; we venerate. Ours is a prayerful gaze. I would say more: it is letting yourself to be gazed upon. This face has closed eyes; it is the face of one who is deceased. Yet, mysteriously, he looks at us, and, in the silence, he speaks to us. How is it possible? Why do people of faith, like you, want to pause before this icon of a man scourged and crucified? Because the Man of the Shroud invites us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image—impressed on the cloth—speaks to our heart and urges us to climb the Mount of Calvary, to look at the wood of the Cross, to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of love.”

–Pope Francis, video message for the extraordinary exposition of the Shroud of Turin on March 30, 2013

To obtain the postgraduate certificate in Shroud Studies students must fulfill the following criteria:

hold a bachelor’s degree or at least a three-year degree; complete the online courses and pass examinations; follow conferences by guest speakers;

write a 25 to 30-page paper on a topic approved by the Scientific Committee and directed by one of the professors of the program.

Therefore, 22 ECTS credits are required: 13 from the courses, 3 from the conferences, and 6 from the paper.